Destiny's Past by Patricia C. Lee

I really like encouraging local authors so when I met this author in a bookstore near my hometown, I was thrilled that she wrote paranormal romance books. Finally! A local author that writes books in a genre that I love! The premise of this trilogy sounded perfect for me so I decided to get the first book signed on a whim and see what local talent is all about. Personally, I thought it was an interesting debut and I really enjoyed it, despite the few problems I had with the plot. Patricia C. Lee makes you travel in time and space and entertains you with her likable characters.

As far as character introduction goes, this is an interesting one, even if it feels like it's already been done. We first meet the main characters as Kelly tries to save Jarek, the mysterious man who suddenly appears on a slab in the morgue where she works. Alive, but not so well, Jarek is suffering from a long exposure to poison and Kelly uses all her medical training to help save the man. At first, she doesn't really believe his story about being a time traveler from the past, that needed modern medicine to save him from the poisoning, but after spending a few days with him, she slowly starts to face the facts and believe his extraordinary story. What she has a hard time facing however, is her own destiny, the one where she is a descendant of a powerful sorceress and destined to some amazing supernatural powers.

The relationship that develops between the two characters is a typical one but entertaining none the less. Even if they come from different times and different worlds, their  love for each other is inevitable. Passion grows into love and when the time comes for Jarek to go back to his own life two thousand years in the past, the couple has a hard time saying goodbye. However, something goes wrong and Kelly goes back in time in Jarek's place. Eventually they are reunited, and both characters going back in time might be a small spoiler but very predictable, in my opinion.

One of the flaws of the plot is the fact that much of the book is spent in Kelly's time (our time), while the conflict and the primary menace is two thousand years in the past. Someone is looking to harm and eliminate the royal family, which includes Jarek, prince of Leisos. Only about the last quarter of the book is held in the past and the antagonist's presence is only felt for that short period of time. I understand character development is important to any author and establishing the connection between Kelly and Jarek was a priority for Lee but it simply felt as if the main conflict wasn't present for the majority of the book and therefore not quite engaging enough for my tastes. Obviously action picks up in the last part of the book which will inevitably be continued in the sequel.

I really admire the author's decision to create her own historical setting and her own mythology. Obviously Leisos and its inhabitants will be further developed in the following books and the mythology will probably be expanded as we learn more about Kelly's magical power and the sorceress that made everything in the book possible. I'm really glad I visited my local bookstore the day the author was on location or else I would probably have overlooked this intriguing series. In my opinion, the story can only get better from now on. Patricia C. Lee charmed me with her likable characters and I really hope to see more of Kelly and Jarek in future books.